USMNT’s Folarin Balogun undergoes shoulder surgery: Monaco striker likely to miss around four months

AS Monaco head coach Adi Hutter has confirmed that Folarin Balogun will undergo left shoulder surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss “four months” of action.

The United States men’s national team star is struggling to recapture his Stade de Reims loan form under Will Still since moving to Stade Louis II on a permanent deal from Arsenal.

“We will have to do without Folarin Balogun, who is out for four months, and who will have surgery tomorrow,” confirmed the Austrian tactician in a Monday press conference. “With this absence, it is therefore necessary to keep our eyes open on the market and see what the possibilities are and what is the best solution for us.”

Balogun, 23, has just three goals to his name so far this season and all of those goals have come in Ligue 1 despite Les Monegasques also shining in UEFA Champions League play.

Considering this timing, it seems likely that Stars and Stripes head coach Mauricio Pochettino will have to do without Balogun for the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals vs. Panama.

Should that be the case, he would also miss any potential CNL final as the winner between those two semifinalists will meet Canada or Mexico in the Inglewood, CA final at SoFi Stadium.

“Everyone knows that it is not easy in the winter transfer window, so we have to find the best compromise to face this second part of the season,” added Hutter. “There are many players in Europe who could help us. What is certain is that we have to find someone who scores goals! No matter the age, we need someone who helps the team score more goals.”

Balogun will absolutely miss all three clashes with Paris Saint-Germain with the first of two Ligue 1 meetings coming up on Wednesday before another in February.

PSG’s out-of-favor Randal Kolo Muani has been linked with a possible winter switch and the Frenchman is a player that Hutter knows well with Eintracht Frankfurt history in common between the two of them.

“I have known Kolo Muani since his time at Frankfurt — he scored a lot of goals there and they were very good,” said the 54-year-old of the Parisien marksman’s Bundesliga feats. “He could be one possible profile.”

The Trophee des Champions in Qatar in early January is also against Paris and now ruled out as well as the UCL clashes with Aston Villa and Inter.

There is also a potential Coupe de France run to consider with the principality outfit up against Union Saint Jean this weekend.